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The World and the Rules that Govern it
The World of Sylfe is a beautiful land made by the Ancestors. They didn't really shape it or anything, but they threw in everything they had and everything they wanted into a spell that began the process of creation. Over the many years that followed, Sylfe formed, molding itself to the original plan of the Ancestors but generally changing it here and there. The Landmasses The Landmasses of Sylfe are divided into three. The Eastlands, where the Ceree reign, The Westlands, where exotic creatures are the norm rather than exception and the Southern Lands, largely unknown and will continue to be such until the denizens of Sylfe find the motivation to search them. The Eastlands The Eastlands can be considered the most lush of the three divisions of Sylfe's landmasses. Mountainous terrain is sparse and forests are large. Creatures large and small tread the lands here. In general, the Eastlands are the most densely populated of Sylfe's lands, home to the Ceree, the Elves, the Lycandu, the Aespectriill, the Humans, the Syllithe and the Aviendrii. These all depend on the resources of the eastlands for survival. There are three continents in the Eastlands * The Continent of Alriiea ** The continent where most of life in the eastlands resides, this is where the Ceree currently live. They are separated into four tribes with each as guardian over the other. They stand guard around the Forbidden Peaks where the Dark One is sealed away. * Malleithen ** Land where it is fabled that the ancestors first set foot. This is where the Ceree city of Avalhein once stood, but it is now nothing but a ruin. It is now only a shadow of its former glory. Malleithen, up to recent times, has been covered in perpetual moonlight. * The Continent of Galaria ** The continent which was said to have sunk beneath the waves during the Great Disaster, Galaria has now at least partly risen. In its center, is the city called Ha'San Mien, Sanctuary from the waves. The last remaining humans in the eastlands reside here. The Southlands Considered as the most exotic of lands in Sylfe, the southlands are filled with many different cultures brought about by the collapse of an age-old monarchy. Over the 400 000 years that followed the fall of the Dark One, the southlander cultures eventually changed to adapt to their environments. Many things changed for the scattered groups of people that were left by the fallen monarchs. The Westlands The westlands were the only other part of Sylfe the Ceree were fortunate enough to stumble into. By virtue of chance, the first Ceree wanderers swam the seas, traveling from island to island until they came upon this unexplored land. Later travelers came by boat, but no one can really say how the Ceree managed to survive. The westlands were described as mostly arid desert and savannah with few oases scattered here and there like pebbles. There was supposed to be a grove somewhere in the westlands, but its very existence is unknown to even the indigenous races. The Ceree only stumbled upon one of the many races in the westlands, the humanoid dragons of the Yahmyn peoples. Places of note: *S'vn Grove **Thought of as the sheltering place of the Heart of Hearts of the races of the Westlands, this is said to be where western magic stems from. *Malyn River **Birthplace of the Farrid Sisters, mythological beings that serve the Gods of the Yahmyn pantheon, the river is the focal point of all magic that comes and goes from the west. *Harn Settlement **Considered as the makeshift center of governance in the Yahmyn society, the Harn Settlement houses the tribe that is its namesake. They are led by a matriarch who is at the same time the symbol of the shamanic culture of the Yahmyn. Magic In Sylfe, magic is the driving force of all life and it is the ambient background anywhere. Sylfe was a world crafted from magic and as such, magic flows through and from it in droves. At the elemental heart of the plane is the "Lattice." The Lattice is the framework for all of Sylfe's magics and it is where the souls of the deceased go to while awaiting their turn to traverse the mortal walks again. Not even the Ancestors know of the existence of the Lattice as it was formed at the moment of creation when its essence was completely masked by Sylfe's. Then again, this is considering the little knowledge on the nature of magic in Sylfe. The Principle of Magic Magic in Sylfe is pretty simple. There is no need for the complicated weaves of magical energy that sometimes is required in other planes. Sylfe's magic is ambient and as such can be draw from anywhere. There are certain places which are called "wells" that are somewhat focal points of one kind of magic or another. These wells are caused by the presence of a powerful artifact or the place was the site of an event that had consequences that rippled through time. These wells can only be accessed upon meeting conditions such as during the exact moment of the historical event or by holding the artifact at a certain time of day. The Selenadre know of these wells given the fact that the city of Avalhein was one. However, the power is only accessible during the exact moment of its fall. Magic is straightforward, as one only needs to draw on the all-enveloping blanket of mixed elemental energies that comprise Sylfe's magic. Fire can be drawn from thin air as long as enough of the element's essence is mixed in with the fabric that hangs about the place. Fire is one of the most versatile elements in Sylfe, needing only light to be drawn. Ceree are born with the innate ability of expelling fire from their maws without spending energy, a testament to their magical bloodline. This is the simplest form of magic, yet there are many other kinds of magic that run rampant in Sylfin blood. Kinds of Magic There are quite a couple kinds of magic in Sylfe. Each has its own specialties, drawbacks and types. Samar'havin(Mental Magic/Uninvoked Magic) This kind of Magic does not involve the use of certain rituals, spells or even potions to work. Uninvoked magic is typically equivalent to blinking a tornado to life. This kind of magic is very unpredictable and usually, the first to strike in a duel is the certain winner, unless, of course, the other can counter and attack at the same time. Samar'havin is very dangerous to anyone outside of the circle that uses it. These are the Elves and Ceree, long ago, Dragons also used this discipline. Samar'havin requires extreme amounts of concentration to work properly. Otherwise, you could imagine yourself burning but actually become drenched in ice-cold water. Samar'havin is fatally dangerous to someone not well versed in its ways. This is its Achilles Heel, if you don't know how to use it, you could sever the ability to use magic from you or you could literally burn to a crisp. The Ceree, though, are taught from childhood to use Samar'havin and it has become almost second-nature to their race. This is the apex of Samar'havin's power, the ability to cast powerful spells with barely a thought. Elemental Manipulation This is one of the types of Magic under the uninvoked Magic discipline. Elemental manipulation doesn't really span only Samar'havin, but its strength lies here. Spoken elemental manipulation spells are touchy and very dangerous. The volatility of spoken elemental spells is very high, requiring a lot of concentration, power and explicit wording of spells. Elemental Manipulation in Samar'havin is easy, requiring only the magician to tap into the ambient magics of the place. Weather, heat, humidity and other such factors are malleable to a master of elemental manipulation. A mix of "threads" from the different elements are used to either create a rope of elemental energy or a lattice. A rope of energy is usually used as an offensive attack. Usually, elements more useable in this form are fire and earth, both elements that are by nature destructive and benevolent at the same time. A lattice is of greater use in defensive magic and usuallt in counter-attacks. Ropes are used to pry apart these lattices, but any amount of magic that is thrown directly at a lattice will simply be spread out. These two kinds of energy apply only to elemental magic, most nothing else. The Magic of Bonds This is basically the establishment of an unspoken, rather, mutual bond between two things/beings. For example, a bond connecting the destinies of two objects: The master magus connects the life of a fir tree with a blazing campfire. If the fir tree grows and continues to thrive, so will the campfire. However, once someone douses the campfire, the tree will die immediately. These sorts of bonds can be used as some sort of collateral in situations where diplomacy is a very touchy subject. The magic of bonds is very impractical as only a master magus can properly perform the spell. It requires this great amount of skill due to the fact that the magic of bonds is very delicate. A simple mistake in performing the magic is enough to kill. Even a sudden flux in the amount of energy, which must be kept constant, can lead to the death of those that are to be bonded and the person that performs the bond. A bond is made by momentarily merging the two things consciousnesses or essences in the case of non-sentient things. The merging must be momentarily and must be over before a heartbeat ends, otherwise, the spell would backfire and the three would be combined into a single gruesome monstrosity called an amalgam. When the two essences are separated, a small part of that remains linked, creating a sort of intermediate-creation that can only be seen by the maker of the bond. They take on the semblance of fireflies that are partly ethereal. Sanar'havin(Spoken Magic) This kind of magic is usually invoked through words or chants. The ancient words that were used to create objects out of nothing were lost with the coming of the Great Disaster. Sanar'havin is a discipline requiring only a large amount of knowledge in the ancient language. The modern tongue can be used in Sanar'havin but the spoken words would be lengthy and draw out, thus straining the magic's effectivity. This is the common form of magic used by the Syllithe, they being the scholars of the World of Sylfe. They know much of the ancient tongue and many speak this fluently. Apparently, their skill in plying Sanar'havin is as good as those in the old times. However, their spells are now long and require lots of energy. Usually, the most powerful spells of the Spoken Magic are done only in the vicinity of a well. Ceree touch this discipline slightly and only in the times when they are celebrating the Lunarie.